Take away her battlements

Hi, Chris.

ChrisJD wrote:
There may be ways too that we seek to defend ourselves and our interests. But not of the Lord.

Lord help us to trust more and more in You.
Ps 35:1-3.

"Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.
"Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
"Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation" (Ps. 35.1-3).

...The implication is that it is the Lord who pleads our cause, and fights for us: we are not to take things into our own hands.

"The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, (that is, of a disciple) that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned (as a disciple).
"The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, nor turned away back.
"I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
"For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
"He is near that justifieth me..." (Isa. 50.5-8).

...The implication is that it is the Lord who justifies us: we need not strive to do it ourselves.

We are justified (vindicated, declared right) by faith, not by our own works. It's a hard lesson to learn. We need the ear of a disciple to learn it.

And Jesus became The Disciple, that we might learn this.

He learned obedience "unto death, even the death of the Cross."

Not just obedience unto death, which could have been an honourable thing, but the death of the Cross. Which in His case was an unjust death; the cross was for wicked transgressors. And he was numbered with such.

But He committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously; He left it to God to plead His cause. He was led as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before His shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

...There's nothing that goes more against our grain than to be accused unjustly. It's such a deep, deep root in us. But this is the death of the Cross, which we are called to share with Him. The Cross.

Being falsely accused, but bearing it, and forgiving. Being defamed, and in return, entreating. Being reviled, but in return, blessing, praying for those who despitefully use us and persecute us.

Instead of trying to defend ourselves.

But why is it that when we are "going through it," we so often find it so hard to do these things, and see in this the Way of our Salvation? Just what kind of a Salvation is this. that calls us to such a Cross?

The temptation is so strong to take our cause into our own hands. We just so badly want to be vindicated as being right.

But it is Christ who is our Right-ness.

"Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."

Bring what to pass?

"And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy judgment (thy vindication) as the noon day" (Ps. 37.6).